Event Comment: CCross: (Pam: publish'd). Play dislik'd. Hiss'd much. [The pamphlet referred to was "Mr Garrick's Conduct as Manager of TRDL considered in a Letter Addressed to him," by E. F. 18 Oct.: As a manager, Sir, it is your business not only to prepare the Evening's Entertainment, but to prepare it in the best manner you are able; and the manager who does otherwise uses his customers ill." The burden of the author's complaints was: (1) the theatre has been operating for a month yet Garrick has appeared in only one character; (2) that he should buy himself off with speaking a prologue only, then sell that to the public at 6d. shows vanity, avarice, and lack of managerial responsibility; (3) that plays such as Albumazar (simple and poorly cast) and Scornful Lady, (with irreligious and atheistical parts) should not have been passed off on the public, whose expectations were raised high at the thought of Garrick's management. Macklin even had to apologize to the audience as he played the part of Sir Roger in the latter play. E. F. closed by urging: "Get up the best of our English Tragedies and Comedies; encourage the rising Wits and be under no apprehesion of the want of success." If you use common sense in casting your actors, as your former managers did (with all their other faults) in casting you, you will not yourself have to play every night. Above all remember your responsibility to the public.] Receipts: #100 (Cross); #127 4s. 6d. (Powel)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Pritchard. Part of Pit laid into Boxes, and stage form'd into Front and Side Boxes. Tickets and Places to be had at Mrs Pritchard's in Duke's late Earl's Court, (Bow Street), at Mr Vaughan's at the Golden Fan, next the Royal Exchange, Cornhill; and of Hobson at the stage door. Receipts: #220 (Cross); house charges, #60 (Powel); cash, #63 10s. 6d.; tickets, #118 17s. (Clay MS). By her agreement she has ten Guineas return'd her out of this charge, and therefore I shall subtract that out of the rest (Powel)

Event Comment: Benefit for the Widow of the Late Chapman. Tickets deliver'd out by the Widow Johnson and Mrs Wallis will be taken. Yesterday Morning died Mr John Laguerre, an eminent Painter belonging to the Theatre Royal in Covent Garden; a facetious companion, universally esteemed in every Scene of Life! (General Advertiser)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Elmy. Tickets and Places of Mrs Elmy at the corner of Tavistock St. next Southampton St., Covent Garden; and of Hobson at the stage door. Being the last time of acting till the Holidays. Cash, #92 12s.; tickets, #56 8s.; total, #149 (Clay MS page reproduced in Oct. 1926 issue of Connoisseur, p. 93). A few days ago arriv'd in Town Mr Sheridan, Manager of the Theatre Royal in Dublin, and we hear as his stay is to be but short, he intends to perform only once, for the benefit of the poor sufferers by the late Fire (General Advertiser). [The fire happened the 25th in "Exchange alley (London) and in the space of 10 hours consumed a great number of houses occupied by persons in middling circumstances and with large families." Subscriptions were raised and distributed by a committee of ten bankers. See General Advertiser.] Receipts: #160 (Cross); house charges, #63 (Powel)

Event Comment: Benefit for Lee and Matthews. Tickets and places to be had of Lee at Mr Oliphant's Exeter St., and of Matthews, at the Golden Ball in Duke's, late Earl's Court, Drury Lane. Receipts: #150 (Cross); house charges, #63 (Powel); cash, #77 2s.; tickets, #82 7s. (Clay MS)

Event Comment: Play By Particular Desire. Last time of acting the Mainpiece this season. The Play of the Lover's Melancholy, and the Farce of the Club of Fortune Hunters, which were to have been acted this evening, for the Benefit of Mrs Macklin, are deferr'd till Thursday the 28th, on account of the Indisposition of Mr Barry; when tickets deliver'd out for the 22nd instant will be taken. Tomorrow, King Lear for the benefit of the suffers by the late fire. Receipts: #28 (Cross); #24 16s. 6d. (Powel)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: At the Particular Desire of Several Persons of Quality. N.B.: [This bill] was put up, but Mr Garrick was seiz'd with an ague, & there was no play, nor the Doors open'd (Cross). The Managers of Drury Lane Playhouse paid the sum of #208 1s. [Being the whole money taken at the play of King Lear, for the benefit of the Sufferers by the late Fire] into the hands of Mt Knight and Mt Jackson; and not as mentioned by Mistake in yesterday's paper; and the whole company gave their night's pay for the said benefit. The last new Reviv'd Play, call'd The Lover's Melancholy, will be acted by particular desire next Thursday, at Drury Lane, to which will be added, Miss in her Teens, being the last time of performing it this season (General Advertiser)

Event Comment: Last Thursday morning, Mr Harrington, Prompter to the Theatre Royal, being delerious and in a high fever, in the absence of his Nurse-keeper, threw himself out of his lodging window, and was killed by the fall. [See A Full and true Account of the woeful and wonderftl apparition of Hurloe Harrington, late prompter to the Theatre Royal in Dublin (London, 1750).] Receipts: #140 (Cross)

Event Comment: Whereas it has been industriously given out in order to prejudice Mr Barry, that he has frequently of late refused to act, when his health would have permitted; He takes this opportunity of assuring the publick, whose favour it is his highest ambition to deserve, that he scorns to make use of tricks or Evasions of this kind, and that nothing but real illness has, or shall ever oblige him to decline his duty as an actor (General Advertiser). Receipts: #130 (Cross); #144 12s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: By Particular Desire. Paid Norton 3 Chorus 15s.; Mr Knight for lamps &c. #10 11s.; for 15 lbs lampwick #1 5s.; Paid Leviez (Ballet Master) a bill as per order #13 19s., and ditto on a Note as per order #34 3s. (Treasurer's Book). We hear Mrs Pritchard, that justly celebrated Actress, is much recovr'd of her late illness, and we are in hopes that she will be able in a short time to perform again at Drury Lane (General Advertiser). Receipts: #140 (Cross); #153 6s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: A new musical entertainment compos'd & wrote by Mr Arne--it was much hiss'd but suffer'd to be given out again (Cross). No latter account will be taken. Books of the Entertainment to be had at the theatre. [Pages covering this date missing from Treasurer's Book. Larpent MS 85 indicates the Character Capt. Sancho-Blakes, deleted.] Receipts: #100 ($Cross)

Event Comment: Benefit for Bridges and Blakes. Rec'd Cash #47 3s., plus #100 4s. from tickets. Total #147 7s. (Treasurer's Book). Yesterday Morning died of a Dropsy, Mr William Mills, belonging to the Theatre-Royal in Drury Lane; a person formerly well esteem'd in his profession, and if his infirmities in the latter part of his life render'd him less useful to the stage, yet he amply made amends for it, in the deserv'd character of an Honest man, and an indulgent Husband. -The Stratagem will be play'd on Sat. next, for the benefit of Mrs Mills (General Advertiser). Receipts: #160 (Cross); charges #63 (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. We are assured that Mr Barry is so well recover'd from his late illness, that he will appear on Thursday next, in the character of Lord Townly in the Provok'd Husband; and that Mrs Cibber will perform the part of Lady Townly

Event Comment: Some Hissing, tho' play'd Well-Garrick Kiteley &c. (Cross). Mainpiece: Written by Ben Johnson, never acted there. Characters Dress'd in the Old English@Manner. Receipts: #200 (Cross). We hear that His Majesty intended to go to the theatre Royal in Drury Lane this evening, to see the Comedy of Every Man in his Humour, wrote by Ben Johnson in 1598, acted the same year by the Lord Chamberlain's Servants, and dedicated to the great Mr Camden; and was reviv'd since the Revolution with Great Applause, having a new Epilogue spoken by Ben Johnson's Ghost , written by the late Earl of Dorset (Daily Advertiser)

Event Comment: Publish'd, A Treatise of the Passions so far as they regard the stage &c., by Mr Foote. 1s. [First pub. 1747, it contains an interesting comment on Garrick's Lear.] Romeo and Juliet which was bespoke, and was to have been acted last Monday at Drury Lane, will be acted there next Monday, Miss Bellamy being recovered from her late indisposition. Receipts: #190 (Cross)

Event Comment: Benefit for Macklin. Afterpiece: A Comedy in 2 acts written by Foote, with Prologue and Epilogue by him. Miss Macklin did Calista and a part in the farce,-all went well (Cross). A Comedy in answer to the French Farce A Frenchman in London, with a Dialogue Prologue, spoken by Macklin & his wife. Epilogue spoken by Miss Macklin. All by Foote. Part of Pit laid into the boxes, with an amphitheatre on stage, all at 5s. Full Prices (Winston MS 8). The Englishman at Paris has been better recev'd that I expected. Garrick, &c., &c....say kinder things of it than modesty will permit me to repeat. Upon the whole it was damnably acted, Macklin miserably imperfect in the words and in the character (a stain to Comedy). You might have seen what I meant,--an English Buck, by the power of dulness instantaneously transformed into an Irish chairman. Miss Roach, accompany'd by some frippery French woman occupy'd, to the no small scandal of the whole house, the Prince's box, whilst the duchess of Bedford &c., &c. were oblig'd to take up with seats upon the stage. The piece will be printed the 25th instant, which I will enclose to you (Samuel Foote to Mr Delaval, MS in Folger Shakespeare Library, written either 24 March, or, perhaps more likely, 24 April, since Foote states later in the letter he is leaving for foreign parts the first of May)

Event Comment: To begin exactly at 6:00 o'clock. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. Gallery 2s. Upper Gallery 1s. Places for the Boxes to be had of Mr Varney at the Stage door. [Repeated throughout the season.] Ye Naturalizing Bill having made some Noise against the Jews, some people call'd out for ye Merchant of Venice, & a Letter was thrown upon ye Stage desiring that play instead of the Opera, but we took no Notice of it, some little hissing but it dy'd away (Cross). [Sometime in the calendar year 1753, Lacy and Garrick drew up a mortgage on the Drury Lane property for #10,000, to be amortized to James Clutterbuck over a period of twenty-one years at the rate of #4 per acting night, and permission to grant free seats in any part of the theatre (except the stage, scenes and orchestra) to forty persons. These latter to be named and seats assigned ten days prior to the opening of any season. This thirteen-page document, which describes accurately the bounds of the 13,134 square feet of land on which the ten buildings comprising Drury Lane Theatre stood, contains protective clauses for Clutterbuck, to the effect that Garrick and Lacy will exhibit nowhere else in London without the #4 nightly payment and for Garrick and Lacy, to the effect that arrears in payment could be collected solely from Drury Lane property, and not from the individual incomes of the mortgagees. It was not signed, so apprently was not executed. (See Havard, Collection of Documents dealing with affairs of Drury Lane, No 2, fMS, Thr 12.)] Receipts: #150 (Cross)

Event Comment: A new Opera. [But not performed.] 'Twas with inexpressible Concern that Mr Vanneschi found the Nobility and Gentry disappointed last Night, by the new Opera's not being then performed; a circumstance wholly owing to Sig Ricciarelli's being, on a sudden, taken extremely ill Yesterday, at an hour too late for its being made known to the Public (Public Advertiser, 11 Feb.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Charles Sarjant, late of Uxbridge, under Misfortunes. Afterpiece not acted this season. Ladies send servants by half after three. Mr Sarjant hopes his friends will favor him with their company tonight, and excuse his not having paid his respects to them in person, having been unhappily confined by the gout

Event Comment: LLa Serva Padrona; or, The Servant Mistress announced but cancelled. [This entertainment was advertised as to be given by particular desire, with the addition of a new act, and a new character, as it was performed originally at the Theatre Royal in Naples. Set to music by Pergolesi. With Dancing. The Scenes and Cloaths entirely new. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. Gallery 2s. The house to be illuminated with wax candles. The whole to be under the direction of Sg Storace and Mr Oswald. Sga Seratina being recovered from her late indisposition to perform this night. Notice, however, on the proposed day of performance appeared in the Public Advertiser: "La Serva Padrona is stopp'd by a particular order of the Lord Chamberlain, but as a great many of the Nobility and Quality are very desirous to see this entertainment, it will be soon presented at another theatre." See 29 March.

Event Comment: Benefit for the Unhappy Sufferers by the late Dreadful Fire that happened in King Street, Covent Garden. Places for boxes to be taken, and tickets to be had of Mr Sarjant, at the Stage Door of the Theatre; where, if any persons are so charitably disposed as to send more than the price of the ticket, a receipt will be given him to the person who brings it. And the profits arising from such Benefit Play, will be paid into the hands of the Church Wardens of St Paul's, cg, and St Martins in the Fields, to be distributed by them for the purposes intended. And as there has been no interest made for this benefit, more than arose from the Advertisements in the public Play-Bills, it is hop'd the Inhabitants of the above parishes will favour this charity with their personal appearances at the said Theatre this Night. Receipts: #128 13s. in cash plus #42 5s. (169 Box tickets). Total Income #170 18s. Charges #64

Event Comment: Benefit for the Unhappy Sufferers by the late Dreadful Fire in King's Stredt, Covent Garden (playbill). We gave our Night's pay for ye Sufferers by the fire in King's Street Covent Garden Sun: ye 23d. of Dec. (Cross). Sisters diner at Mrs B's. I slept [slipt?] in after the play at Drury Lane & see them in the Gallery, where I had a few words with Mr Williams (Hailey, "Brietzcke Diary," Vol. 197, p. 69). Receipts: #200 (Cross)

Event Comment: Was at Drury Lane to see The Desart Island & the Way to Keep Him two new pieces wrote by Mr Murphy, the latter pleas'd me but the first quite the reverse (Hailey, "Brietzcke Diary," Vol. 197, p. 70)

Event Comment: MMarybone Gardens are now opened, and will be continued every evening during the summer season: There will be a musical performance in the orchestra, and after that an English burletta called La Serva Padrona. The music composed by Pergolesi, wherein Sga Seratina, who is now pretty well recovered of her late illness, and who has met with such universal applause in these performances, will perform the principal part. The doors will be opened at Five, the Music begin at Six, and the Burletta at Eight o'clock. Admittance 1s. The Books of the Burletta to be had at the Bar of the Gardens. N.B. Mr Truster's daughter continues to make the rich seed and plumb cakes so much admired by the Nobility and Gentry, and will be sent to any part of the town at 2s. 6d. each. She likewise makes almond cheesecakes that excels anything of that kind and are hot at One o'clock, and are sold at 21s. per dozen. [This notice repeated in subsequent bills.

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Never performed. Founded [by Thomas Hull] on a Play wrote by the late Sir Samuel Tuke [Adventures of Five Hours]. The Afterpiece: A Masque (perform'd but once) [by Thomas Hull], With New Music, Dresses and Scenery. The Music by Mr Bach. Books of the Masque to be had at the Theatre. Paid for The Perplexities #2 2s. (Account Book). Receipts: #226 16s. (Account Book)